Seattle circus, vaudeville and boisterous street band music

We’re coming into what has become Seattle’s spring season for circus, variety, vaudeville, and boisterous street band music. For the next couple of months, you won’t be able to move too far without bumping into a stilt-walker, aerialist, juggler, burlesque queen, or gaudily dressed tuba player.

Here are the options and venues: The fabulous Moisture Festival opens on March 11 at ACT Theatre downtown, and then on March 19 at Hale’s Palladium, on the way from Fremont to Ballard. The festival runs through April 5.

Meanwhile, Circus Contraption has just opened a reworked version of “The Show to End All Shows,” their dark and funny spectacle of a family-owned, one-ring circus as it begins to unravel, with new songs and some new acts. That’s at Theo’s Chocolate in Fremont, running through May 31. Finally Honk! Fest West returns to the streets, cafes, and bars of Ballard and Georgetown on the weekend of April 10-12. Some of the North America’s best street bands will be coming to Seattle. It’s a must-see, especially if you are partial to good music, wild dancing, and walking around for three days with a grin on your face.

By the way, Circus Contraption is looking for volunteers for its shows (ushers, door, and so forth). For those short of cash, it’s a good way to run away with the circus. Contact marylou at circuscontraption.com if you’re interested.